Pence says 'proud' of efforts on Jan. 6, further distancing self from Trump, amid possible 2024 run

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday night appeared to further distance himself from former President Trump, saying he was "proud" to have certified the 2020 presidential election results the day of the Capitol breach.

"I will always be proud that we did our part on that tragic day to reconvene the Congress and fulfilled our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States," Pence said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley California.

Pence who appears to be laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential speech nevertheless set out an American First agenda in the speech, according to news reports.

Trump has since the Jan. 6 breach said that he’s "very disappointed" in Pence not having sent the votes back to state legislatures and has further suggested that he would still be president had Pence not participated in the process. The former president made the comments in an interview earlier this week during an interview on Just the News’ “Water Cooler” show on Real America’s Voice.

"The Constitution affords the vice president no authority to reject or return electoral votes submitted to the Congress by the states," Pence said in his speech, according to CNN. 

Without mentioning Trump by name, Pence said there are "those in our party" who believe that "any one person" could select the president.

"Truth is, there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president," he said, CNN also reports.